Stephen Ruscoe: Exhibition Manager, Canterbury Museum
What is your current job and where do you work?
I am an Exhibition Manager at Canterbury Museum. This role coordinates the Exhibition Group and plans the delivery of the Special Exhibition Programme as well as the upkeep of all front-of-house displays.
How long have you been working in museums?
I began working in museums in 1996 as an Exhibition Preparator helping set up the inaugural displays at Te Papa Tongarewa. After Te Papa opened, I worked for seven years in the department of Asia at the British Museum. Armed with the skills, experience and knowledge gained from working at Te Papa, and the British Museum I returned to New Zealand and joined Canterbury Museum in 2006.
How did your career start?
Prior to working in museums I worked in the film and television industry in Wellington. This was long before The Lord of the Rings came to town and every man, dog and hobbit, added film work to their CV, but I did work briefly on Peter Jackson’s film The Frighteners. I worked in art departments. Before starting at Te Papa I was working for an animation studio as an armature maker. It was this craftsmanship of small wire forms that led me into making discrete wire mounts for museum displays.
What made you decide to pursue a career in museums?
My favourite year at school was my fourth form (year 10), which was all about doing projects. It seemed that for every subject, an assignment would be issued and you’d be expected to hand in a creative, colourful and factually correct project. I remember thinking at the time that my perfect job would be to continue doing these projects.
The Exhibition Manager role at Canterbury Museum was the perfect fit for my museum experience and my love of creating museum displays. The timing was uncanny, as I had just returned to New Zealand from my eight-year OE (overseas experience).
How many people do you work with at Canterbury Museum?
Canterbury Museum employs approximately 75 staff and 50 volunteers. I have an excellent team of five staff who continue to impress me with the quality of their craftsmanship and professional attitude.
How do you help your staff build their career and progress in the industry?
Undertaking ATTTO's National Certificate in Museum Practice (Level 4) has given me an insight into the qualification so that I can encourage staff to complete the training.
We organise training workshops about aspects of museum practice that are outside of each of our roles so we share information about our respective roles. It is always nice to have someone take an interest in what you do.
To help make workplace training successful I suggest that museums pair up with other local or small institutions to share knowledge and practice. The National Certificate is all about understanding museum principles and showing knowledge of working examples. It’s not about learning from textbooks.
What has been the highlight of your career?
The big thing for me was staging the exhibition Fred and Myrtle's Paua Shell House. It was unlike anything else I have done in my museum career. It involved co-writing and producing a short film, overseeing the construction of the house in which we displayed over 3,500 artifacts from Fred and Myrtle’s Bluff house, and making an intentionally label-less display.
What is the best part of a career in the museum industry?
Museums are great places to visit. They are a mixture of theatre, play, and learning. I get to meet and work with many varied visitor groups. Staging exhibitions is very satisfying. It can also come with challenges and I relish problem solving.
What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far?
We deliver 26 special exhibitions a year. This means that at any one time we are planning, working on, or exhibiting many shows. We must have the exhibition ready for opening night, even if there are unavoidable delays and complications. So far I have never missed a deadline.
What advice would you give to young people wanting a career in museums?
I have often found in my career that hard work attracts luck. If you put 100% into a role then you’ll be surprised at what comes back to you. Seize every opportunity.
ATTTO's specialist museum qualification - the National Certificate in Museum Practice (Level 4) - is an ideal way to gain the specialist knowledge required by people working in the museums sector. It is designed to be completed on-the-job, by people already employed or volunteering in a museum. The National Certificate can also be completed as part of an ATTTO Museum Modern Apprenticeship.
